Mr K A Ferrin, Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste, and Mr J Cook, Public Transport Team Leader, Kent Highway Services, will attend the meeting to answer Members’ questions on this item.
Minutes:
(1) The Committee welcomed Mr K A Ferrin, Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste and Mr James Cook, Public Transport Team Leader, Kent Highways Services, to the meeting.
(2) With the permission of the Chairman, Mr Bullock addressed the Committee. Mr Bullock stated that he regretted the way in which this decision had been taken, particularly in relation to the lack of prior consultation with District and Borough Councils. He also mentioned that the initial report to the Cabinet contained a recommendation that was to note, so anyone reading the Cabinet report would not have known that such a decision was going to be made. Mr Bullock did, however, refer to a letter sent subsequent to the Cabinet meeting by the Leader to District and Borough Leaders, expressing regret for the lack of advanced notice of the decision.
(3) In response to a number of questions from Mr Bullock, Mr Ferrin stated that the Cabinet had decided to act when it did following a large number of enquiries from concerned elderly and disabled residents, some of whom said that they had been advised by District and Borough Council officers to contact KCC. Mr Ferrin stated that, ideally, the decision would not have been made without prior consultation with District and Borough Councils but the decisive action taken by the Cabinet was done to help allay residents’ concerns.
(4) Mr Simmonds stated that the Cabinet’s decision to provide financial support for a 9.00 am start could hamper the negotiations between District/Borough Councils and the Government in relation to the under-funding of the national scheme. Mr Ferrin responded that he had no wish to hamper negotiations and would liaise with District Council colleagues and the bus companies about the best way of implementing the earlier start time for the scheme. Mr Ferrin also stated that he would decide on the most appropriate way to distribute the additional £120,000 after consulting with District and Borough Councils. He also confirmed that the £120,000 was an estimate of the additional cost for the remainder of the current financial year and that the Cabinet was committed to covering the entire cost of the 9.00am start, whatever those costs happened to be.
(5) In response to a question from Mrs Stockell about funding for future years, Mr Ferrin stated that the Cabinet was committed to funding the earlier scheme start in future years and will be considering the position for 2009/10 onwards as part of the budget setting process, which would commence in the autumn of this year.
(6) In response to a question from Mr Bullock, Mr Ferrin stated that he did not accept that the financial information in the report was inaccurate; he said that the information was provided by the Council’s consultants and that some of the District and Borough Councils might have a different interpretation of the position.
(7) In response to a question from Mr Law, Mr Ferrin accepted that more work needed to be undertaken with the bus companies to market their services.
(8) RESOLVED that:-
(a) Mr Ferrin and Mr Cook be thanked for attending the meeting to answer Members questions;
(b) the Committee welcomes the Cabinet’s initiative to allow pass holders to travel free between 9.00 am and 9.30 am;
(c) the Committee would support active consultation commencing as soon as possible with District and Borough Council Leaders with regard to the proposed implementation of the Cabinet’s decision;
(d) the Committee agrees to reconsider the matter when any significant changes are proposed to the national scheme.